Missed Chances
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: An AU one-shot idea that popped into my head set after 3x15. This is imagining Regina is Rumple's daughter. They've all known for a while (say around 2x16). She starts visiting Neal's grave. One day she finds someone else there and the pair bond over what they never had. Belle/Regina friendship/family.


_An AU one-shot idea that popped into my head set after 3x15. This is imagining Regina is Rumple's daughter. They've all known for a while (say around 2x16). She starts visiting Neal's grave. One day she finds someone else there and the pair bond over what they never had. Rumple is still Zelena's prisoner. Apologies for any mistakes. Hope you like it :) _

Regina stands in the eerily quiet patch of forest where they buried Neal Cassidy, her brother and Henry's father, a man nether her nor Henry got to spend much time with. What with Neverland and the new curse there wasn't much time for family bonding. She sighs staring down at the cold grey stone.

Every time she comes here she wants to say something. She just doesn't know what.

Henry has no memory of her. He has no memory of him. A tear rolls down her cheek as she imagines the day he'll remember. He'll remember her but he'll also remember his father and have to feel this loss all over again. _He didn't even get a chance to see him again_. Henry doesn't know her. He doesn't know any of them.

Rumple is still imprisoned in Zelena's cellar. Until they get hold of her dagger she cannot free him. At first she was thrilled to realise he was alive, and that she did have a chance to get to know him but then all too fast she realised that was not to be. Without defeating Zelena he too is lost.

Her mother is dead. Regina wonders if she returned in the new crypt. Since the new curse Regina hasn't been able to bring herself to go down there and check. She's not sure she could handle her mother disappearing on her. Even if she apparently kept secrets from her for her whole life. Regina wishes her mother were still here right now to help her make some sense of what's going on. She knows that's not possible.

Zelena is of course her half-sister, another new found sibling coming out of the woodwork. Unlike Neal, Regina doubts her sister is at all interested in building a relationship with her. All she seems intent on is destroying her. _She's the reason your brother's dead. She's the reason you can't even remember if you got to know him last year. _She tamps down her anger focusing on the person she came here to visit.

She stares down at the stone again thinking of the few memories she has of him. Most of them are just quick glimpses while they were joined in battle or in the fight with Cora. There were a few moments on the boat and in Neverland but they never had a chance to develop anything more. She sighs thinking of the missed chances. Henry never got a chance to know his father, she her brother and Rumple all his son.

_And now we never will _she thinks sadly. Neal is another family member lost, another one she barely had before he disappeared from all their lives. She knows that even when they defeat Zelena it will feel hollow because the return of memories will only bring home their loss.

She startles as she hears a noise from her left. Calling on her magic she starts up a fireball in her hand just in case. With Zelena and her army of flying monkeys around she can't help but be wary.

Regina relaxes as Belle comes into the clearing. She lets the fireball drop as her hands fall to the sides. "Belle" she greets. They are the only two left uncaptured and alive of Rumple's family. It's been a strange relationship to say the least. Hell all her family relationships are strange and strained. The past has been a mighty hurdle but Neverland brought her and the Charmings closer together. A new curse and a joint loss pushed her, Belle and Neal together. The calamities of their life have forced them all to begin moving forward. They need to be unified at this time and hopefully in the future. Whilst at times it's strained and tentative Regina would much rather be with them than without.

Unfortunately their number seems to thin far too often.

"Regina" Belle says before placing the flowers she brought with her by the grave. She didn't know whether or not to bring them or not. In the end she decided to because it is tradition, flowers as she knows from working in her father's shop have their symbolism. A flower on a grave is an act of memory and grief.

She stares at the engraved name with a sad frown before standing beside Regina. Like the woman beside her she wished she had had more time. They were family and yet never had the chance to just be happy and have their family moments. She doesn't even know if she got to know Neal. Every time she met him they would be separated or thrust into a new curse. She thinks of Rumple, of how he is coping with this. She wishes she could be with him and that she could free him but he refused to let her. He told her it was dangerous and she knew he was right. She ran from him not because she was scared but because she didn't want their family to lose anyone else.

They've all missed so much time.

She remembers a time when she craved adventure.

Now she just wants it all to slow down. She wants to be with Rumple and get to know the people in her family through circumstances that aren't tragedy or drama or loss. They've all missed so much and she doesn't want to miss any more.

Now she stands at a grave with only a handful of moments wishing and wondering if they could have had more.

"Do you know what to say?"

Regina's question startles her and she blinks, "Pardon?"

"To Neal. I come here and I never know what to say."

Belle nods understanding perfectly. She takes a cautious step closer to Regina, "Me neither. I don't even remember if I have memories of him. Do you think we did?"

Regina shrugs, "I hope so. He was my brother and he was Henry's father. None of us ever got a chance Belle. I wonder sometimes if we ever will."

"We have to" Belle says, "I have to believe we will. We'll break this curse and maybe things can settle down. I don't know if that's naïve or foolish to dream of but I need to believe in it Regina. We've had far too many missed chances."

"I hope you're right. Do you have any memories with him?"

"Don't you?"

Regina sighs, "I didn't get the chance. I saw him from afar with Henry but that was it. I never spent any amount of time with him. I keep thinking about Henry and him remembering. He'll have to go through all of this too. He didn't even get a chance to meet him again."

"I know. We'll all have to do this again Regina. I think that might be the price of memory." Belle replies forlornly.

"Aren't you sick of everything having a price?" Regina asks wishing for once they could have something without some horrible toll coming first.

Belle nods thinking of her life with Rumple and all the losses and missed time, "Yes"

They stand in silence for several more minutes before Belle breaks the silence, "I like to imagine we tried to be a family in that missing year."

Regina smiles sadly, "Me too." She only wishes that fantasy were real or that they had had a chance to make it real upon their return to Storybrooke. She didn't even get a chance to see Neal again back here. She has yet to see her father either.

"I don't want to miss any more chances Regina" Belle says. "I know right now we're where we were a year ago. I know there's a lot to get past but I want to take our chance while we have it to at least try and be a family." She doesn't know what happened in the past year. All she knows is that they are family and she'd much rather be a part of one then to be all alone.

Regina nods. After all she's lost she can't help but agree. She has a son that doesn't remember her, a brother who she never knew, a sister who despises her and a kidnapped father. It would be nice to try and build a relationship of support and friendship. With the Charmings there is more of that but you can't have too many people in your corner. In Belle she recognises that loneliness and fear of it, they have both missed far too many chances and lost so much. She sidles closer standing next to Belle before briefly squeezing her hand. The fleeting touch doesn't go unnoticed by Belle who smiles.

"I'd like that" Regina replies, "No more missed chances"

_Always happy to hear what you think. Thank you for reading :) _


End file.
